The great sleuths in our favorite mystery series become almost like old friends. So where did these seemingly living and breathing heroes come from? That's the question that bookstore proprietor Otto Penzler asked his favorite authors, in a naked bid to raise enough money to keep his Mysterious Bookshop open. What was the real-life location that inspired Michael Connelly to make Harry Bosch a former Vietnam tunnel rat? Why is Jack Reacher such a giant of a guy, and why did Lee Child make him a drifter? And how did a brief encounter in Botswana inspire Alexander McCall Smith to create the kind but no-nonsense Precious Ramotswe? In this outstanding collection of 21 essays, these writers and their fellows let us in on the secrets behind their finest creations.

"An exciting omnibus volume that has widespread appeal and adds up to much, much more than the sum of its parts.... The best book of its kind."—NYTimes